Johto: A New Beginning in Contests
by Dashie13
Summary: A contestshipping story where May and Drew journey into Johto for the new contests to be found there. Will the two continue to be rivals, or will they start something new? It's a new beginning!
1. Chapter 1

Johto: A New Beginning!

Chapter One: The S.S. Aron

The sea was shimmering a brilliant blue and the waves gently crashed upon the helm of the S.S. Aron. A young lady with chestnut brown hair and sapphire eyes quickly adjusted her green bandana as she made her way across the ship to check in and find her room.

"Ticket please," said the attendant, "Oh, Miss Maple. I've seen you perform before, I'll be sure to look out for you in Johto." She said as she punched her ticket and handed her a key.

"You have? Wow! Well thank you," May said with a cheery smile.

"Oh, and to warn you, we're a little over booked. You'll be sharing your room I'm afraid." She warned.

"No worries! I've shared rooms before, it's no issue." And with a smile and wave, May was off to find her room.

"Hmm...19B...Kind of lonely..." May continued to look for her room. "Blaziken, come on out!" She called and soon she had her loyal companion by her side. "I need help finding my room, can you help?" She asked "Blaze," he answered looking at the door numbers. He led her across a hallway and pointed to a door. "Oh right, B section," May sweat dropped as she entered her room, Blaziken following after.

"Hello?" She called as she entered.

"Rose-Roserade!" She turned to the bunk beds to see a Roserade looking cheerfully at her.

"Why hello," she said to it, "that's weird, it's like you recognize me. Where's your trainer?" She asked. Before the Roserade could respond, a familiar green haired coordinator entered from the bathroom.

"May, May, May. I see you couldn't resist following me the Johto region. Now tell me, what are you doing in my room?" He said as he flipped his hair. He wore his familiar light turquoise pants, black shoes, and a purple button up shirt.

"For your information," May began after the shock wore off her, "I came to Johto because all my rivals were coming here, I didn't want to go to Sinnoh with Ash and Brock, Max will be starting his own journey soon, and this is my room too!" She said getting flustered.

"Jeeze May, calm down." He answered after a moment. He looked over at her, as she wasn't wearing her usual outfit. She had new black biker shorts and an orange tank top with a black collar which was zipped ever so slightly down. Her gloves had green stripes and black and her bandanna was also in green.

"What are you staring at?" She asked, tilting her head to the side.

"It's just odd not seeing you in Red," he then tossed her a rose over his shoulder as he left the room, "I always thought that was your color. Or perhaps you just don't look as bad in red." He smirked and left, with Roserade trailing behind.

May flopped onto the bottom bunk and sighed, "Stupid green haired jerk…" she observed the rose, "How does he always make them look perfect..?" She quickly went into her green fanny pack and pulled out a notebook. It was plain and red, but inside were a few pressed roses throughout the pages along with a few notes about her Pokémon. She took the newly given rose, gave it a final smell and placed it into the notebook, then back away into her pack. "Well Blaziken, we might as well settle in."


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter Two: The Buzz on Contests!

After May had unpacked and rearranged her bags, she could hear her stomach growling. "Wow Blaziken, how long have we been in here?" she asked her feathered friend.

"Blaze-Blaziken." He answered shrugging his shoulders.

May quickly glanced up at the wall clock in the room. "2:00p.m?!" she exclaimed, "We've practically worked through lunch! C'mon, let's go look around for the dining hall here and then explore a bit. How's that sound?" She said cheerfully. Blaziken simply nodded in agreement and the two left the room.

While on her search, May could hear the attendant from earlier and another familiar voice arguing.

"But you don't understand!" a young girl with pink bangs complained, "I simply must be paired up with Mr. Drew's room!" she crossed her arms.

"I'm sorry, Miss…Bianca, is it? But there's simply nothing I can do," the attendant said as she brushed her purple ponytail behind her. She was clearly annoyed.

"I demand to speak to your manager!" Bianca tried to stand tall and intimidate the only person (as she saw it) who stood in her way of being with Drew.

"I'm sorry Miss, but she's on break." And with that the attendant made herself look busy re-arranging the programs. Bianca turned on her heel with a huff, probably to look for Drew. May couldn't help but admire how the attendant handled the situation, how calm she remained. She then remembered how nice she'd been earlier, and she never even got her name! Feeling a bit rude for not asking earlier, May walked her way over to say hello.

"Uh…Hi," May said smiling nervously, "I saw Bianca yelling at you, you sure stayed calm." She noted.

"Oh, hello again Miss May," the attendant responded, "We have…some frustrating guests on our ships fairly often; Once you see them regularly, it becomes routine." She said with a sigh, "Was there something you needed?" she asked.

"Oh, well I was wondering where the dining hall might be," she said sheepishly, "But I also never asked for your name."

The attendant laughed as she heard May's stomach growl, "My name is Debbie, and I can walk you there." Debbie answered as she reached her counter for a pokeball.

"Are you sure? I don't want to be any trouble…" May stated.

"It's not, really, " Debbie said with a smile as she released her Pokemon.

"QUEN!" It called, looking around.

"Vespiquen, do you mind watching the booth as I escort Miss May to the dining hall?" Debbie asked.

"Vess," it answered her and stood guard.

"Shall we?" Debbie asked as she began to walk off, and with a nod, May and Blaziken followed after her.

As the two trainers wound their way along the halls, May felt an awkward silence form, "So…Do you normally work on the sea? Have you ever traveled alone?" she questioned.

"I enjoy the work, and it lets me travel far enough without being too far from home." Debbie answered.

"Oh, so you're from Johto?" May asked with a smile.

"Yes, Miss May. Azalea Town, to be specific. I got tired of collecting Apricorns for my Uncle, or battling my cousin." She said thoughtfully.

"Your cousin?" May asked.

"Bugsy. The gym leader of Azalea, although, with you being a coordinator, I don't expect you to know whom he is, Miss May. Though if you ever find yourself in any trouble there, I'm sure if you mention me, they'd help you out." Debbie finished with a reminiscent smile. The two girls continued chatting about Pokemon and their journeys until they reached the dining hall.

It was a fairly large room, with white tablecloths and curtains lining the windows and tables. The floor was a deep shade of maroon, and a few buffet tables lined one wall. There were a few televisions hanging over the bars in the room, some which played trainers battling gym leaders, and others contest battles. To May it seemed to be a picture out of a fancy hotel.

"Well, Miss May, I'll need to return to my post now, but feel free to chat anytime during your trip." Debbie said with a smile.

"Thanks, and Debbie, there's no need to call me 'Miss'. I'm guessing it's part of your job for guests, but we're friends now." May returned.

"Alright then, May. Hope I'll be seeing you later then." With a final nod, the two friends parted ways.

As May began filling up her plate, her eyes focused on one of the televisions that many people were also focused on. She strode over to a nearby table and began to eat absentmindedly as she watched with Blaziken. "A double battle..?" May said while chewing some of her salad. On the screen were a grey filled arena, and two trainer silhouettes. When the dust cleared, May saw two familiar faces; One made May smile, the other, shiver. "Solidad and HARLEY?!" she exclaimed, "But what could they possibly be in a double battle for..?" Right as May began thinking, her thoughts were interrupted.

"Of course you wouldn't know," a voice said with a smirk.

"Drew!" May scolded, "It isn't my fault that I don't know." She said confidently.

"Well, you /would have/ had you done any research on the contests held in Johto." He remarked as he flipped his hair, waiting for a reaction.

"Wait….Drew, what are you going on about?" May asked, cluelessly.

Drew sighed at her incompetence, "If you'd done your research, May, you would then know that Johto deals its contests in doubles. Two pokemon per appeal, two pokemon per battle," he said holing up two fingers as to tease her, "Although, you don't need two trainers. You can of course; just look at Solidad and Harley, but not everyone is teaming up." He finished.

"Oh." May said plainly as she took another bite of her food, "Are you going to have a partner, Drew?" She asked quietly with a blush.

"Oh, is little May Maple hoping to accompany The Drew?" he said as he got in close to May's face, teasing her, however, this backfired slightly as he too began to blush.

"No way!" May exclaimed turning her face away, "I'm just…scoping out my competition." She said smiling at her own clever save.

"Hmmf," Drew responded, a little disappointed in her quick response, "Well I'll let you know I plan on going solo in Johto. What about you?" he asked.

"Well, since I only just now found out about the doubles, and seeing as Solidad is teamed up with Harley, I think I'll go alone too…" she ended a bit sadly. She only just now thought about how this would be her first journey alone. She had always traveled with Ash, Brock, and her little brother Max. Even with her almost being a legal adult, May was now unsure how she'd take to being on her own. Her thoughts were interrupted however, by a clattering hum on the deck.

(Author's Note: While the anime says they're ten, I've never been able to see them at that age. In my story/version of the Pokemon world, trainers begin their journey at 13, and after traveling for so long, I've decided to make May 17. My reasoning is each Grand Festival takes around a year to earn all the ribbons, so that's about two years. Then I also assume {even in the anime} that due to her fear of Pokemon May didn't start until she was almost 14. Add in the time she spent resting/traveling in general, I get 17. Drew is 18, Solidad is 23, Harley 21, just to give you an idea. Sorry for the long note .')


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter Three: Battle aboard the SS Aron!

"Huh?" May and Drew both turned their attention to the noise outside the hall. There was a low humming noise that they seemed to be unable to escape from. Quickly the two trainers left their table and began to search for the cause of the humming, each with their own pokemon trailing behind. As they arrived on deck, May could see Debbie and her Vespiquen fighting past the crowd of curious trainers.

"Why is everyone just standing around…?" Drew asked himself as May squinted to see Debbie's opponent.

"..Is that…an R….?...TEAM ROCKET!" May shouted as she sprinted past the crowd to aide her friend.

"May, wait!" Drew tried calling after her, but it was no use. Soon, Drew too pushed past the crowd, and he found what was forcing the other trainers back. A wall of team rocket grunts paired with their tentacools created a poisonous trail. Past the grunts Debbie and her Vespiquen were battling Team rocket Executive Petrel, where his Golbat was beating away at the combee Vespiquen summoned.

"Drew, we have to help Debbie and stop Team Rocket!" May called to him.

"I know May, Team Rocket is never up to good…But we need a plan…" he confirmed, and the two rivals began scheming on how to end the grunts wall. After a while, the two coordinators nodded in agreement.

"Quick, Blaziken! Use Sunny Day," May commanded as Blaziken shot a hot ball of heat into the sky.

At the same time Drew called to Roserade, "Roserade, use Magical Leaf to blow the poison barbs away!" In a flash of purple and green, the barbs were removed. "Now Roserade, start charging up Solar Beam!" Drew called as May gave Blaziken an order.

"Blaziken, use Double Kick to knock the Tentacool down!" Her Rooster Pokemon began combating the tentacool so that Roserade could finish charging up.

"Now, use Solar Beam!" Drew called.

"Quick Blaziken, dodge-" May was cut off at the deck was filled with a beam of light. The tentacool were knocked out, and Team Rocket began to retreat!

Petrel called out to Debbie, "You've only won because I brought our newest members. I might be a nice guy, but Team Rocket will not be so easily defeated in Johto!" and he soon vanished.

"Phew," Debbie sighed, "That was close. Thanks for clearing them out. You two are going to make a great team in Johto." She said with a smile.

"Oh, we're going to take on contests solo, Debbie. In fact, Drew and I aren't even traveling together; we're just rivals, right Drew?" May said quickly as she waved her arms in denial.

"Oh…I suppose so… I am the rival that's going to cream you in the Olivine City Contest," he finished with a smirk.

"Oh no, no, no, I am going to cream YOU and every other coordinator there all by myse-" In the midst of May's monologue, the ship began to leave the dock, parting with a loud buzzing of the horn which made her stumble and fall.

Drew caught her, but he couldn't help but laugh, "By yourself? May, you can't even stand by yourself."

His smirk changed May's blushing face to one of rage, "I CAN TOO-…stand..?" She exclaimed, calming herself as Drew shoved yet another rose into her face.

"Yeah, well while you can, you should expand on that ability and walk yourself to bed to rest. I don't want to be asleep and have your clumsy moves be my rude awakening." He said turning toward his room and walking away.

"You don't need to be woken to be rude," May mumbled to Debbie, who giggled.

"Wow. He must be REALLY into you, May." Debbie teased.

"No way! He's just my rival!" she scolded, her brow furrowing.

"Mhmm. That's why he gave you a rose." Debbie pointed out.

"Oh, he always does that." May said, spacing out a bit as she admired the flower.

"He ALWAYS gives you roses..?" Debbie asked raising a brow.

"Not like that! They're for my pokemon….I think…." She mumbled that last part.

Debbie couldn't help but laugh at May's expression, "Oh well. Go on to bed then, you'll be in Johto tomorrow and you need rest." Debbie ordered her.

"I guess," May yawned as she walked off to her room, "Goodnight, Miss Debbie!" May called with a laugh.

Debbie shook her head, "G'night, Miss May."

(Author's Note: I know that battle scene was pretty bad. I don't normally write out battles, but I'll do my best to get better! I just wanted to portray that May and Drew can be compatible in their battling abilities. Short chapter, but next we'll actually be in Johto! And thank you for reading!)


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter Four: Steel Cold Realizations!

May was chatting with Debbie on the deck of the SS Aron. The sky was a lit a brilliant pink and orange, and the Glittering Lighthouse could be seen shining in the distance. It had been a hectic morning, as May and Drew both tried to pack up their items inside the room.

~Flashback~

"Drew!" May squeaked, "Get your filthy boxers out of my face!" she flustered as she hurriedly packed her clothes.

"I will as soon as you get your Skitty out of my backpack!" he scolded, "And there are girls who would kill to be in your position." He said with a smirk.

"Ahh! Skitty, return-no, Skitty!" May struggled to get her little pink pokemon back into her ball. Once she accomplished that, she glared at Drew, "Only because those girls are…are…delusional!" she declared crossing her arms.

"Oh, so you ARE a fan!" Drew teased as he too finished packing up.

"That's not what I meant and you know it, Drew!" May argued, stomping her foot, "And I am not delusional! I see you exactly as you are!"

"Oh? And what do you see me as exactly, May?" Drew questioned as he stepped in close to her face.

"You're –" May began, but she soon tumbled into Drew's chest, "Skitty!" May scolded the kitten Pokemon.

Drew blushed at the close contact, and then pushed May away, "I'm done packing. See you at the contest." And he exited the room.

May sighed, "Sometimes you're nothing but trouble…" she commented as Skitty chased her own tail.

~Current~

As they approached the shore, people began crowding around the loading area.

"Well May, it's been a pleasure. I'll be watching you perform here." Debbie said with a smile as she became ready for the onslaught of passengers.

"For me too, Debbie," May smiled back, "I know we'll see each other again soon." The two hugged, and May steadily took her first steps into Johto once the ship had docked.

May was awed. It was so pretty! She could hear wingull and the crashing of ocean waves. The sky was turning into its light shade of blue, and the Glittering Tower was slowly stopping its shine. From the dock May could see what appeared to be a small café and a Pokémon Center, across from which was the lighthouse. Past those two buildings were the Olivine City Gym, and the newly built Contest Hall. Between these were many residential homes; it was huge for a port city.

Once she'd taken a clear mental image, May dashed off to the Contest Hall. It was a large spherical building that was shaped like a Magnemite. Its metallic shell bounced the sunlight off in every direction.

"Everybody, come on out!" May called as she threw her pokeballs into the air. Blaziken, Eevee, Skitty, Beautifly, and Wartortole appeared. "Okay everybody, Johto contests work a little differently; I need to enter two of you at once in each contest." She informed as each of her pokemon nodded, "I was thinking of using Wartortole and Skitty. How does that sound to you?" She asked.

"Skitty!" Her pink friend exclaimed with excitement.

"War!" Her little turtle cheered.

Her other Pokemon nodded in agreement.

"That's settled then! Alright, everyone return." Once her pokemon were back in place, May stepped inside to register for the contest. The inside was much warmer than the harsh outer shell it was decorated in. The register gave May an odd look when she said she was competing alone, but said nothing.

"You are all entered for today's Contest May. The competition will begin at 3:45p.m. Good luck." The registar informed her. May thanked her, and then left the Contest Hall.

May released her Skitty and Wartortole, "Okay team, the contest starts at 3:45! I know this doesn't give us much time to train, but with all our hard work training with Dad at the gym, I'm sure we'll do great!" May said confidently and her pokemon nodded in agreement. The three trained all morning, until it was about 2:00p.m. May and all her Pokemon took a quick lunch break, but soon went back to training. After what seemed forever, May glanced at her watch, "3:30?! C'mon guys, let's go do our best!" and off to the Contest they went.

May sat nervously as she watched other trainers perform their appeals. After watching three other teams perform she scratched her head, 'I can't be the only trainer not using a partner besides Drew…' she thought. These thoughts were interrupted though as she was called out on stage to perform.

May came bouncing out of the hall, "Wartortole, Skitty, take the stage!" May cheered as she twirled around. Skitty appeared sitting on top of Wartortole's shell. "Okay! Wartortle, start using Rapid Spin, then Aqua Tail!" She commanded.

"Warrrrr-Tortle!" He called as he began to spin round and round on his stomach as Skitty kept her balance on his shell. After a while, gusts of water began to shoot out from his backside.

"Skitty! Start using Blizzard!" May called to the kitten pokemon.

"Skiiity!" the cat Pokemon called as she released a cool breath that started to freeze Wartortole's Aqua Tail. The effect caused a sparkle of ice and hail around the arena.

"Alright! Now Skitty, finish with Double Slap!" May cheered as she pumped her fist into the air. Skitty nodded and hopped off Wartortole, sending a Double Slap onto his frozen Aqua Tail. The ice shards flew off in different directions. May and her Pokemon gave a bow as the crowd cheered.

"What a cold finish!" Adrian Meridian, the host complemented, "Let's see what the judges thought!" As she pointed to the judges table.

The Panel consisted of Olivine City's Nurse Joy, Jasmine the city's Gym Leader, and the captain of one of the ships.

"Both Pokemon seem to be healthy and strong," Nurse joy stated and then gave a score of 7.3.

"While you had creativity with this combination, I think you could've managed your time more wisely to better show off your Pokemon's abilities." Jasmine said in a flat tone whilst giving a score of 6.2.

"I was really hoping for a bit more variety," the Captain began, "On the seas we see so many water pokemon, it can get redundant." And gave a score of 6.

May returned her Pokemon and walked back into the Contest Hall disheartened. "I thought we would have done better.." she mumbled to herself. She then looked on to the screen to see Drew emerge into the arena. He was using his Flygon and Masquerein. May tried to not be upset, Drew seemed to be doing so well! She sighed sadly.

"May!" she heard a familiar voice call which snapped her out of her moping mind.

"Oh. Hey Brianna." May said flatly, "What're you doing here, I didn't think you entered the contest." She asked.

"Watching Mr. Drew compete of course!" She said in a dramatic tone, "I saw your performance, kind of a low score, Mr. Drew thought you'd do better than that." She taunted.

"Drew thought I'd do well?" May asked her, intrigued.

"Well, yeah! And then you got such a low score, I think you threw him off his game, look at the screen!" She scolded as she pointed to the monitor. On it Drew was receiving his final note from the judges.

"While your pokemon work well individually, you need to work better to make them team players." The Captain informed before flashing a 7. Drew's Final score was a 7.1, whereas May was a 6.5.

"Wow, the judges are really stern here…" May commented.

"No," Brianna began, "All the teams got at least an average score of 8. Only you and Mr. Drew scored below that!" she fumed at her.

Drew walked into the room at that moment, scolding himself. May gave a small smile and wave, though Drew did nothing back. He was focused on the screen. After all the appeals were over, all trainers had their eyes intently on the screen for the first battle rounds. Neither May or Drew appeared on screen. Drew quickly got up and began to leave the Hall. Brianna tried to trail after him, but he shouted at her making her stay behind. After he had left May decided she better go after him, there was no point in staying at the contest anymore.

Instinctively, May went up to the lighthouse. Once inside she pressed the button for the elevator and went all the way up. Once she stepped up, she looked around, and sure enough her green haired rival was there. His back was towards her and he had his arms resting on the railing.

"Drew..?" May called out cautiously, "Are you okay?" she asked stepping closer.

Drew sighed, then laughed, "They're so biased it's actually funny…" he said.

"Huh?" May said cluelesly as she came beside him.

"The contest judges. They automatically think the people teaming up are better." He said knowingly.

"Drew, you don't know that." She said trying to defend the judges.

"Look May, I'm not a sore loser. I watched your appeal, it was way better than the kid with a magby and guy with his golden. They were only given a high score for how in sync the trainers were with each other. That's what we were missing in our appeals." He said matter of factly.

May pondered for a bit, "So…What you're saying is if we want to win any contests then we need partners to compete with." May affirmed.

"Exactly." Drew stated, "Now, I could pick almost any girl to be my partner and do as I say…But fangirls are too…annoying." He said hinting to May.

"Are you saying you want me to be your partner?" May asked dumbly.

"Oh, so you do want to be The Drew's partner, hm?" He teased as he flicked his hair.

"Wait, I didn't say that!" May flustered, "Although there isn't anybody else I'd want to be teamed up with…" she trailed off.

"Then we have an agreement. You and I are going to compete together in the other Johto Contests and win the Grand Festival!" He hyped up looking straight into May's eyes.

"Deal." She agreed with a smiling nod and handshake.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter Five: A Meuh Here and A Miltank There!

Our two favorite coordinators began making their walk to Ecreaut City. Both trainers were disappointed in their performance, but were confident that together they could be unstoppable. As the two reached the city's end, a familiar voice called out.

"Mr. Drew!" Brianna shouted as she ran up to the two trainers, "I'm so sorry that you lost Mr. Drew, the judges are compete morons!" She gushed, giving a harsh glance at May.

"Yes, well...I didn't give the judges what they wanted to see." Drew began as May stood awkwardly beside him.

"You would have done fine if May didn't do so bad and throw you off your game!" Brianna huffed as she glared at the brunette coordinator.

A harsh change appeared and Drew's eyes, "May didn't throw me off. If anything the judges low scores for her prepared me for what I might have had in store during my performance." He said coldly.

Brianna gave a pleading look, "So her poor performance did make you worry!" She accused.

Drew snapped, "May's performance was not poor. Her poor score puzzled me because I thought she did beautifully, but she did not make me lose. She is a strong coordinator, Brianna, and that's why I've chosen her to be my partner. Let's go May." Brianna was taken aback and couldn't say a word as Drew tugged on May's hand so they could storm away.

After about ten minutes of awkward walking, May broke the science, "Thanks for defending me..." She said quietly.

"Yeah...don't mention it. She was being a fan girl bitch." Drew flicked his hair and seemed to be cooling down.

"Hey Drew?" May said with a slight blush.

"Yes May?" Drew returned looking at her.

"You're uhh ...still holding my hand." She noted as they both looked on to their clasped hands.

Drew quickly pulled his hand away, embarrassed, "Right...sorry." And looked away. May held back a giggle.

Drew began to replay the days contest in his head, '. Better teamwork. While my Pokemon excel in their individuality we haven't practiced much as a team. May has spent years with Ash and has trained her Pokemon alongside his, so hers may have more experience their. If I use my contest experience and technique and her her experience in teamwork and-' his thoughts were cut off by May mono lounging.

"Mary's Expedition: Johto Day One!" She said as she held her hands up like a camera as she looked around, " Here we find May leaving for Ecreaut City, though the wilderness here has its dangers!" She held her 'camera' up at Drew, "Look! Here we find an arrogant coordinator!" She giggled.

Drew looked at her annoyed, then smirked, "And here we find a delusional maniac. Now get that camera out if my face." He said as he mimicked May's fingers at her.

"Hey!" She said dropping her camera, "What happened to,'strong coordinator'?" She asked.

"I can't have Brianna, or any of my fans thinking I've teamed up with a weak coordinator, can I?" He asked with a smirk, "I had to tell a few white lies."

May fumed and crossed her arms. Soon enough she went back to her childish actions, "Look, here we find a herd of Miltank with their calves." She ran over to an enclosed white fence where many Miltank were grazing. Drew thought if stopping here, then simply shook his head at the silly girl. "Look at these beauties, and here! A Taurous protecting the herd, he's so big! It's like he's...right...in...frontofme!" May squealed as the Taurous charged. May stumbled back and tripped over a rock onto her back. The Taurous was halted by the fence.

Before helping her up, Drew laughed, "Jeeze May, even when you're being observant you still trip. You're such a klutz." He said as he pulled her up.

"I am not! I tripped!" May defended as she crossed her arms. In the midst if their fight, a middle aged man and young girl ran over.

"Ya'll alright?" The man asked. He was wearing a grey long sleeve shirt and green overalls. He had grey eyes and crows feet were beginning to form around them. His hair was a light brown which was beginning to grey.

"Yeah. May here is just clumsy." Drew snickered. May glared at him a moment.

"Are these your Miltank? They look so healthy." May asked the two with a smile.

"Yep. This ere is mah farm. I'm Mr. Meuh, this is my daughter Laite he motioned to the small girl, who waved. She too had light brown hair which was tied up into a ponytail. She had blue eyes which matched her jean shorts, and a pink t shirt that was just at her waist.

"They aren't all healthy though." The young girl said, "one of our Miltank have birth recently, and she's been so weak ever since. Nothing seems to help." Laite looked up at May with almost pleading eyes.

Mr. Meuh nodded, "We sell our Moo Moo Milk to stay in business, it's tough when one starts to give out.." He trailed off.

"Daddy, don't say that!" Laite looked afraid, then at May, her eyes whispered to her 'help'.

"Maybe we can help the Miltank become healthy again, right Drew?" May said to the girl, then looked at Drew.

"I guess we could..." Drew said a bit haltedly. He wanted to hurry to the next town to train.

"Oh, thank you!" Laite called, "Miltank is in our barn!" Laite quickly led the two trainers to the barn while continued work outside. The barn was large and red, and inside were three stalls. A door on the right led into the family home. In the center stall May and Drew could see a troubled Miltank, whom Laite rushed over to, "Don't worry Milly, these people are here to help you." She cooed to it.

"...Moo..." It cried weakly.

"Roserade, come join us." Drew threw out the rose Pokemon, "Use aromatherapy on the Miltank." He ordered, Roserade nodded.

"Rose...Erade!" The rose Pokemon called. Soon a pink smoke and dust filled the barn, then dissipated. When revealed, Miltank's eyes were slightly more open, but her cry was still weak. Laite looked disappointed.

May leaned down to the Miltank, "Hey there Miltank," she greeted, "Are you hungry? I've got some berries and poke locks you might want to try." She said with a smile. The Miltank looked interested. May opened her Pomeblock case and grabbed a few of her indigo blocks, "Try these." She smiled as the Miltank instantly perked up.

"Moooo!" The Miltank seemed to have a lot of energy now. Laite immediately looks pleased.

"What did you give her? i tried everything!" She asked May.

"Indigo Poke block. They're made with Oran berries which heal a Pokemon, but the mix makes them taste better than the berries." May smiled at her success.

Drew was impressed, "Wow May. That was really smart thinking." He complimented.

"Since you made Miltank better, here, one second!" Laite called as she ran into her house. Soon she returned holding two bottles of milk and an odd case. "Have some of our farms famous Moo Moo Milk! And take my spare seals case! Seals let you put stickers onto a Pokemon to make a grand entrance! I use them in all my battles with Milly." She smiled.

"Wow! Thank you very much!" May and Drew each said as they put away their gifts.

"I'm sure we'll use these in our next constest!" May cheered.

"Speaking of, we should get going if we want to reach Excreat before it gets dark." Drew pointed out.

"Aww, okay," Laite said sadly, "good luck in your contest!" The happy girl called after the two trainers. May skipped happily down the trail ahead of Drew. He was walking calmly, hands in his pockets. After a while of walking, the two could see a tall tower past the trees. Once past them, that had arrived in Ecreat city, and just before dark too.

(Author's Note: I want to keep some of the. Soulsilver/heartgold game events in my story. I also enjoy having characters get to a place and not just magically appear. I'll try to have more inner thoughts of the characters and larger descriptions. my story seems heavily driven by dialogue, so I'll try to improve!The next chapter we'll have our first Contest were May and Drew will work together! Thanks for reading!)


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter Six: History in the Making!

May was awed. The city before her made her feel as though she were sent back in time. The stone paved roads were worn and cold from the night air, and lanterns, which May was almost certain were lit with oil, lit the pathways. Each little home had maroon paint and a red roof. The Pokemon Center looked similar to the standard one found in other towns, but was supported by wooden beams. Two towers loomed over the town, one burnt a fourth of the way down, the other rosé high above the clouds. As they came closer Drew spotted a banner over Eurcreat city's Dance hall, saying it would be hosting contests there temporarily. The whole building seemed a bit out of place...The roof was blue and more red painted than maroon.

"I feel...like I'm back in time somehow..." May commented to Drew.

"Well, it's said that even now this city bears the mark of its history...Lets check into the Pokemon Centre, it's almost dark." Drew took another look at the burned tower before leading May into the Pokemon center.

"Welcome, how can I help you?" The nurse Joy asked behind the counter as the pair walked through the doors.

"We would like to register for the Next

Contest," Drew began.

"And if you have any rooms available?" May asked pleasantly.

"Alright, I'll just need your contest passes..." May and Drew each handed their own passes, "Oh, the system has you listed as single coordinators. Are you two competing alone?" She asked confused.

"That's what we both initially planned..." May started, but was cut off.

"But plans change. Can you change the record so we're competing together?" Drew asked.

"Certainly. Here are your passes back," each Coordinator took their pass back. "Now, I have two rooms available. Are you alright with sharing?" She asked as she typed. The two shared a glance.

"We can share." The two said together.

"Wonderful. Your room is down the hall on the right. 118." Nurse Joy said with a nod.

As the two arrived at their room, each felt exhausted. Both trainers flopped onto the bottom bunk bed. May sighed and removed her shoes, fanny pack, bandana, fingerless gloves, and socks. Drew removed his overshirt and dropped it on the floor by her things.

"Ugh, I'm so exhausted..." may said with a yawn. All the walking really had her tired.

Drew too yawned in reaction to May, "Yeah, we better get some sleep. We need to be up early to train. Now get off my bunk." Drew said with a smirk as he shut off the light. They were too tired to change into pajamas.

"Drew, that isn't fair!" May whined. The mattress was firm but felt so relieving, she didn't want to get up. She crawled up to the pillow and snuggled into it. Drew slipped off his shoes and then looked at May. She was practically on the edge of the bed and seemed to be falling asleep.

'She looks so happy and peaceful and cute...' Drew thought, 'wait, cute? C'mon I don't say things like that...but I can think them...' Drew was about to let May win, and make the long climb up to the top bunk, and then remembered the extra room on the bottom bunk. He smirked, "Have it your way, then," and climbed into bed next to her. Drew waited for protest, but was a bit surprised to find none. He pulled May a bit closer from the edge, and then too went to sleep.

May's eyes fluttered open from the sunlight. She shut them quickly and snuggled her face into the warmth around her. She could smell something like roses or pouperri. She sighed then lifted her head to wake herself up, only to find a certain green haired coordinator laying next to her.

"Drew! What are you doing!?" May shouted at the still sleeping boy.

He quickly shot up in bed, "Huh?" He said confused, then noticed their positions on the bed, "I could ask you the same thing. You are in my bunk." He flicked his hair.

"/Your/ bunk?" May flustered, "/I/ fell asleep here. And, and, and, then you just, crawl into bed with me?!" She defended.

"Calm down little girl," Drew teased as he bopped May's nose, much to her annoyance, "And don't flatter yourself, May. We were both exhausted."

May sat in angry silence as Drew got off the bed and grabbed his things. As he walked off to the bathroom, he turned his head to May for a final remark.

"Oh, and if anything would have happened, you'd remember it." He smirked and waltzed away, leaving May fuming on the bed.

"Ugh!" May groaned as she laid back on the bed. After closing her eyes for about a minute, she got up off the bed and looked at herself in the mirror, "Well...at least I'm already dressed." She grabbed her comb and began to brush her brown locks down the side of her face. Soon she had her fanny pack equipped and her fingerless gloves on. As she put her bandana on, Drew reappeared out of the bathroom.

"Took you long enough!" May said as she entered the bathroom to brush her teeth.

"I was ten minutes tops, May. Now hurry up, we need to get breakfast and then tra-" He was cut off by a spitting sound.

"Did you say breakfast? I'm starved!" May shouted poking her head out of the doorway. She wiped the toothpaste off her chin and then quickly dragged Drew out of the Pokecenter to find some breakfast. Eventually they came across a small cafe that wasn't much larger than the houses nearby.

"How many here?" A young waiter asked, grabbing two menus apprehensively. Drew held up two fingers and the waiter led them to a small booth in the corner. Nearby a window lit up the restaurant and

Mobiles hung on the ceiling. May found it quite charming.

"Alright May, we should hurry up here. We need to begin our training together soon for the contest, it's in...two days" Drew said as he scanned his menu.

May nodded as she found what she wanted to eat, "Mhmm...Who did you want to use in this Contest?" May asked as their waiter approached.

"What can I start you with?" Their waiter asked, "Coffee, juice, water?" As he held a notepad.

"I'll take a water, hold the lemon." Drew said.

"I'll also just have water," May said cheerfully

The waiter jotted on his notepad, "alright, are you two ready to order or do you need a few more minutes?" He asked.

"I think we're ready, I'll have a number two, over easy, bacon, and wheat toast." Drew said quickly.

"And you?" The waiter said after writing it down.

May faltered, "Uhmm...I just wanted blueberry pancakes." Drew groaned.

"I'll be right out with that." The waiter said quickly and scampered away from their table.

"Alright May. I was thinking we could start with Masqurein and Beautify. I know they're similar pokemon, but they've worked together before and I think that'll make it easier to train this first time." Drew just stared at May who was watching outside the window.

Finally she nodded, "I agree. And I think...in our appeal, we need some sort of theme...Didn't you say judges like that?" May asked.

"Depends on the judge. They're all looking for the basic standards you and I are used to, then there's the teamwork aspect and coordination to that. We have to be in synch." Drew stated seriously.

"I dunno Drew...the more I look at that tower the more I think we need more than just that...What if we made a bold statement about the history here?" May inquired as her eyes lit up and their food arrived, "Man, I'm starved!" She said taking a large bite of her pancakes.

"We'll, you sure eat like you are." Drew smirked, "Anyway, a bold move?"

May swallowed her food quickly, "You have an Absol, right? The disaster Pokemon. I think the symbolism there could be useful..." May trailed off.

Drew chewed thoughtfully, then sighed, "Why don't we try to find out more about the Burnt Tower? After that though, we start training."

"That's a deal, Drew!" May said happily as she finished devouring her pancakes. Drew held up his hand to signal for the check. Drew took out his wallet and saw May fumbling through her fanny pack.

"Don't worry about it May, I've got it." He said as he tossed the pokedollars onto the table.

"Are you sure? I'm more than willing to pay for myself..." May said cautiously. She didn't want to offend him.

"I'm sure May." He said as he got up from the table.

"Y'know I could leave the tip if you want." May offered.

"Y'know ya could just say, "Thank you."" Drew mimicked, "Jeeze May, it's like you've never had someone buy you dinner before." May got up as well.

"Well nobody has. Since I traveled with Ash, Brock, and Max, we all just sorta pooled our money together and let Brock be the banker." She said thoughtfully, "Not all of our money of course, but enough to be fair for expenses."

Drew felt bad for the comment, "Well, then I guess I'll just have to buy you dinner sometime." He said with a small smile, "Now c'mon, let's check out that tower."

As they approached the ruins, they could see more of the soot and damage the flames had caused. However, after so many rainstorms, and wind, the soot and smokey small was slowly being trailed out of town. May saw an old man sitting on the steps of the tower, looking to the sky. He was wrinkled and had a large white beard, his clothing was a simple periwinkle robe and brown sandals.

"Excuse me, sir, I hope we aren't bothering you..." May began.

"Not at all, child. I assume you're hear to learn the history of our towers, yes?" He asked. May and Drew we're a bit surprised by his readiness. They nodded.

"700 years ago this tower was built by our ancestors along with the intact tower you see there. It is said that at this time Lugia, the Legendary Guardian of the Seas, would perch on this tower, and Ho-Oh, the Legendary Guardian of the Skies, would perch on the other tower. Things were peaceful until a powerful thunderstorm caused a bolt of lightning to zap the tower here. This bolt then cause a great fire to erupt and burn down the tower, however great rains from the storm put out the blaze. Lugia fled from the tower. In the fire 3 Pokemon are said to have perished, but before Ho-Oh also left, he revived the fallen Pokemon. It is said that even today these three Pokemon race across the region, and these events happened 150 years ago." The man finished, "We hope one day Ho-Oh may return and protect the skies again, and that Lugia will be found."

"Wow..." May and Drew gaped at the tower.

"But if this happened so long ago, why haven't you rebuilt it?" Drew asked.

"We don't think it would be honorable to Lugia or the fallen Pokemon to rebuild it. If they ever chose to return, then we may. But until then, we wait." The old man said patiently. They all looked at the tower.

"Thank you so much for history!" May said cheerfully to the man.

"You're welcome. Young people like you are why I'm still around. To teach. Now go on, make your own history." He said calmly as he sat on the steps yet again. May smiled and Drew gave a respectable nod as the two went off to train.

"I want to use Blaziken and Absol in this contest." May stated stubbornly, "I have a really good feeling for this, and a great idea for our appeal!" She whined. Drew sighed.

"Alright May, what's your plan?" He asked the eager coordinator.

"So first we..."

~~~~Hours of Training Later~~~~

The two trained until late into the night. After grabbing a late midnight snack from the Pokecenter cafeteria, the two collapsed into their respective beds.

"I must admit May, that combination you've come up with for Absol is pretty good. You've come a long way from just frisbees." Drew complimented.

"Are you actually giving me a complement? And without a sassy remark?" May asked as she stared at the mattress above her.

"What, something wrong with that?" Drew asked, happy that May couldn't see his blushing cheeks. 'Roserade is gonna have a hell of a time bugging me about today. Here I am outright complimenting her, and she'll think I've asked May out to dinner...well I did I suppose, not that May noticed...she's so dense sometimes...Wait, sassy?!' Drew thought.

"No, not at all!" May flustered, "I'm just not used to hearing them from you..." She commented.

Drew sighed and composed himself. He poked his head over the railing of his bunk and looked at May, "Look, I know it may come as a shock to you, but you're my partner. I want you to succeed. I always have. And I'd hope you want me to succeed too. We may be rivals, but even so I've watched you become a great coordinator, and I've always cheered you on in my own way. Doesn't mean I'd go easy on you in a contest of course. And aside from all that, I've complemented you plenty of times." He quit his speech and laid back down on his mattress.

May wanted to ask questions and clarify, but she was too tired to dish twenty questions. Drew was relieved to not be asked anything, and soon fell asleep too.

~~~~The Next Morning~~~~

Drew was the first to wake up. He quietly climbed off the top bunk and stepped into the bathroom. He turned the shower on, the handle squeaking as he did so. As he began to undress, the bathroom fogged up with steam.

"Drew, are you in the shower?" May called from the other side of the door.

"No, but I'm about to." He answered her.

"Can I come in?" She questioned.

Drew began to wrap a towel around his waist. "Wow May, who knew you were so eager to shower with me." He teased as he opened the door.

May fumed, "DREW THAT IS NOT WHAT I-" May stared. As the door opened, Drew appeared out of the steam with just the towel around his waist.

"Well, what is it?" He asked as he stood there annoyed. May blushed and blinked.

"I just need my hairbrush." She said sheepishly as she grabbed it off the counter. Drew sighed and shut the door.

May brushed her long locks and got dressed in her now usual orange outfit. As she tied her bandana on her head, Drew appeared fully ready to leave the room.

"Alright May, so I was thinking we need to go shopping for-" Drew began, but was cut off by a gleeful May.

"You want to go shopping?! Oh my gosh Drew traveling with you is going to be the best!" She shouted as she locked arms with him and pulled him out of their room to find a store. Drew barley managed to grab his wallet and pokeballs before he was whisked away.

~~~~Many Agonizing Aisles Later~~~~

They finally exited the store two hours later. Drew felt exhausted and was carrying two bags on his arms while May's were free. She was obviously happy with their purchases. She'd gotten more seals, berries, and Pokemon food. Drew bought more long term things, such as a tent and cooking supplies. They headed back to their room to pack up their things, and so May could make some pokeblocks.

"Hey Drew, I know you've got Roserade, Masqurein and Absol, but what other Pokemon do you have on you?" She asked as she placed the berries into a blender in their room.

"I've got everyone on me aside from my butter free. I let him go so he could breed. I know you've got that untrained skitty." Drew said with a flip of his bangs as he observed Mays blending skills.

"She's not untrained! She's just...well she's a skitty! What do you expect?" May scolded.

Drew chuckled at her fluster, "Who else do you have?" He asked.

"I've got Skitty, Eevee, Wartortle, Beautifly, and Blaziken. Munchlax is back home at the gym with my dad." May mumbled. Her pokeblocks were soon done, she placed the little purple squares into her pokeblocks case, "May's purple surprise!" She called and threw her Pokemon into the air.

Drew also released his Pokemon, "I suppose now is a good time to feed our pokemon." He said as he grabbed bowls and began filling them with their food.

Their Pokemon munched happily,and May treated each of her Pokemon with a pokeblock. "Do any of your Pokemon want to try?" She asked cheerfully.

"I don't know if my Pokemon would like you're cooking, May!" He said with a laugh. Eventually Roserade tried one, but commented that it was too spicy for her taste.

"Hey! I'm not a terrible cook, for Pokemon or otherwise!" She said defensively.

Drew flicked his hair, "Why don't we test that then?" He tempted, "I'm going out for a walk, if you're really so competent, you'll be able to have some form of nourishment ready for dinner by the time I get back." He challenged.

"Fine! I will!" May accepted and crossed her arms as Drew and his Roserade shut the door behind them.

May stood there a moment, then realized she'd just been tricked. 'Oooh, I'll have to get back Mr. Rose for this one!' She thought, 'Although, I am getting hungry..' She pondered a moment, "Okay! Who wants to head down to the kitchen with me?" She asked the Pokemon in the room.

~~~~Meanwhile~~~~

Drew smiled slightly as he enjoyed the fresh air. He and Roserade walked in silence around the town until Drew spoke up, "I'm sorry I haven't let you out of your Pokeball as often.." He apologized. Roserade shrugged. "It's just been...a bit crazy with May. I've never traveled with anyone before, you know that. I don't want you getting jealous of all the time I spend with her and I'll let you out more after this next contest." He promised.

"Rose-Roserade." The little rose Pokemon stated.

"You like having breaks from the city?" Drew waited, but Roserade simply nodded, "If you say so."

"Rose-Roser-Aid-rose!" The Roserade teased.

Drew blushed, "What? I didn't want to travel with May all along!" He defended.

"Roserade!" The Pokemon sang.

"Sure, I've thought a lot about her lately. She's my...friend." He answered.

"Roserade?" The Pokemon asked teasingly.

"No! Not my girlfriend! Just a friend, a rival! Like Solidad!" He flustered. "Even if I invited her to dinner sometime, that doesn't mean I like her, friends can go to dinner!" Roserade began to say something else, but Drew cut her off, "Alright this walk is over." And began to walk back to the Pokecenter,she trailed after him.

Drew entered their room and was attacked by the scent of salt and steam. He returned Roserade and saw that their other Pokemon were in their Pokeballs already.

"Ta-Da!" May said proudly pointing to the ramen on the dresser, "I figured we could just eat in here, sit on the bed or something." She said with a smile.

Drew smiled back, "This actually looks really nice May. Thank you." He complimented as he grabbed one of the two bowls and sat on the bottom bunk. May soon joined him and started digging in.

"Mmmmm! I love ramen!" May said happily as she slurped the noodles.

"Your favorite, huh?" He asked smiling at her. He was glad to see her happy, and the food wasn't bad either.

"It's the best!" She said excitedly as she finished. Drew laughed at her enthusiasm and yawned, "We better get ready for bed. Big day tomorrow." He stretched.

May set their empty bowls on the dresser and headed to the bathroom. "Yeah, our first Contest together! We're so gonna win!" May called from the bathroom.

Drew nodded, though may couldn't see. He was excited too, it was nice knowing they'd be competing together and not against. Like when he'd watch her in a contest, but better. He quickly took off his shirts and shoes and socks, but left his pants on for bed. He also grabbed a rose from his backpack.

May emerged from the bathroom in a pink nightgown. She looked over to her bed and saw drew sitting on it with a smirk.

"What? Is it your bunk now?" She joked as she approached the bed. Drew stood up.

"No, but this is for you." He said as he reveled the rose. May took it in her hand.

"For me? Really?" May asked blushing as she admired it.

Drew flicked his bangs, "Thanks again for cooking." And climbed up to the top bunk. 'Alright, that went well...That went well.' Drew thought.

May admired the rose awhile longer, and then placed it into her book. Here she wrote a note, 'Drew said this rose was for me! ME! Maybe...could the others have been to?' She wrote and then drifted off to sleep.

~~~~Morning of the Contest~~~~

"May, hurry up we're gonna be late!" Drew tapped his foot in annoyance. Blaziken and Absol had already been primped and brushed. All that was left was May.

"How do I look?" May asked as she emerged from the bathroom. Drew returned their Pokemon and handed May Blaziken's Pokeball.

He rolled his eyes, "You look gorgeous, now come on!" He grabbed her hand and led the two out of the Pokecenter and down to the Dance Hall. Many Coordinators were packed into the studio. As they checked in for the contest, Drew noticed he was still holding May's hand and quickly let go.

After a few moments the contest began! Their MC Adrian Meridian did the usual announcement. May and Drew watched the top of the Dance Hall ceiling retract into the walls of the building to make an open arena. There was a small stand area where onlookers were able to watch the contest. Participating Coordinators waited in the dressing area. May and Drew watched many appeals and were soon called out onto the stage.

Out they came running, "Blaziken, Absol, Let's hit the stage!" They tossed out their pokeballs in unison. Absol and Blaziken appeared, with Blaziken holding a wooden pole.

"Absol, use Iron Flash on the rock!" Drew called out to the dark Pokemon.

"Blaziken, begin a Friction uppercut!" May called to Blaziken.

Absol used flash and iron tail simultaneously on the rock to create a sound of thunder and look of lightning. The rock split in two. At the same time Blaziken charged a sky uppercut on the ground which created sparks. He quickly placed the pole into the split of the rock and used his attack, causing the wooden pole to burn.

"Okay! Blaziken, use Firespin!" May ordered.

"Absol, use Perish Song!" Drew quickly said after.

Blaziken began the Firespin which spun with flames around the tower. Absol sang Perish Song and the Music notes floated to the fire, dissipating in it.

"Now absol, finish this off with Rain Dance!" Drew ordered with enthusiasm.

"Blaziken, give us a sunny day!" May cheered.

The two Pokemon nodded. Blaziken's Sunny Day rose in the sky as Absol's rain dance began. With the rise of light and water a rainbow was cast and the pole no longer burned. The two effects soon met each other and faded away. The crowd cheered as May and Drew took their respected bows.

"What exciting combinations! What do our judges have to say?" Adrian Meriden commented. The judges panel consisted of Ecreat City's Nurse Joy, a Kimono Girl, and the Old Man who had given May and Drew their history lesson.

Nurse Joy began, "I felt like I was being told a sad story, but beautifully done. Absol and Blaziken appear very strong and healthy as well." She flashed a 9.

Next was the Kimono Girl, "I loved the way the Firespin twirled and danced around the pole!" And flashed an 8.

Last the Old Man Spoke, "It warms my heart to see that our city's history is not forgotten. The array of moves used was also impressive." And gave a perfect score of 10.

The two returned to the waiting room, "We did it, Drew!" May cheered.

"It's not over yet, we still have battle rounds to go through, remember?" Drew reminded her.

After a few more minutes Adrian came on the screen, "The judges have deliberated! Here are the four teams that will be continuing on to the next round!"

"Only four?!" May shouted alarmed.

"Calm down May," Drew assured her, "In these Double Performances, only four teams are chosen to battle. It's equaled to the same amount of Pokemon judged in a normal contest. And I'm sure we made it." He flicked his hair.

Soon, May and Drew, a blonde boy named Carl and red head named Angela, two twin girls named Tammy and Tanya, and two black haired boys named Jason and Lloyd appeared as well. (Okay, I'm really bad at writing contest battles, so lets say the twins beat Jason and Lloyd and May and Drew beat Carl and Angela.)

"It's time for the final battle! May and Drew's Absol and Blaziken vs. Tammy and Tanya's Illumise and Volbeat! Begin!" Adrian announced.

"Illumise use water pulse on the Blaziken!" Tammy called out.

"Volbeat, use bug bite on the Absol!" Tanya cheered.

"Quick, Absol protect Blaziken by using razor wind to blow the water away!" Drew ordered.

"And Blaziken, use Friction Uppercut on the Volbeat!" May called out.

Blaziken and Absol quickly switched positions. Blaziken met with the Volbeat and landed his attack, causing the volbeat to be knocked back. Absol slashed away the water with his razor wind. The twins lost a fourth of their points.

"Volbeat, Illumise! Parawater!" The twins ordered. The Illumise began a water pulse and the Volbeat used electric wave to electrify it, causing sparks thought the water. May and Drew also lost a fourth of their points.

"Blaziken! Use overheat!" May ordered.

"Absol, Razor Wind again!" Drew shouted.

As the Parawater attack approached, Blaziken began to emanate a fierce heat and fire, where Absol used Razor Wind to push that heat to the attack, sizzling out the water and scorching the two bug Pokemon. Half the twins points were gone.

"Let's finish this! Absol use Night Slash!" Drew cheered.

"Blaziken, let's cook them with an Overheat!" May called out with confidence.

Blaziken shot out a cannon of heat and fire at the bug Pokemon. Soon Absol's Night Slash caught on with the Overheat and the two attacks hit each of the bugs, knocking them out.

"Illumise and Volbeat are unable to battle, Blaziken and Absol are the winners!" Adrian announced as the crowd cheered. "Drew and May have won the Ecreaut City Ribbon! Congratulations!" The MC said with a smile. May hugged Drew tightly, "We won! We won!" She giggled and held up her half of the ribbon to the crowd. Drew flicked his hair and did the same, allowing the purple and Maroon colored ribbon to shine in the light.

As the two left the Dance Hall, they were stopped by the Kimono Girl. "Excuse me, my name is Kuni. After seeing your strength their is something I would like to give you." She said. May looked to Drew who shrugged and began to be lead into a dance room.

"I've been asked by Professor Elm to find a pair of trainers worthy of caring for this Pokemon Egg. After seeing the two of you in performance, I am certain the Egg would be in good hands with you." She said as she held a white egg covered in red, blue, and yellow triangles in an egg case.

"Wow! Do you know what kind of Pokemon it is?" May asked, intrigued by the markings on the egg, she would swear she saw them somewhere before. She was also reminded of hatching Eevee, and Manaphy too. Drew looked over at May, who was smiling gleefully at the egg. 'She really wants this...' He thought.

"Not even Professor Elm is sure. That's why we need a strong trainer to care and coax it into hatching. Once it hatches, would you bring it to him to look at?" Kuni asked her.

May was about to say something, but Drew beat her, "Sure Kuni, we'll care for the egg." He said with a flick of his hair. Both girls looked surprised.

"Really Drew?" May said happily clasping her hands.

Drew nodded as Kuni handed him the egg case, "Wonderful! Thank you both and congratulations on your contest win." She bowed and May and Drew left.

"Oh, I'm so happy! Our first ribbon and a new egg to care for!" May said keeping close to Drew.

"Yeah, we did do pretty well in that contest...And how much trouble could one egg be?" Drew said with a smile.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7: Cavernous Conversations!

"Well May, we should finally get to use that tent we just got." Drew said as he stretched his arms above his head. He cracked his neck by leaning it side to side and sighed deeply as he stared into the heart of Mt. Motar, causing his eyes to focus intently.

May rested her chin on top of the egg case she now carried, "You mean we have to go through /that/?" She whined. May looked onward through the trees and closed off pathway of route 42.

"Nurse Joy warned us that construction might still be going on, but this is the only way to Mahogany Town, and to our next ribbon." Drew replied with a slight smile and flick of his hair. He eyed May who seemed swayed, and than began to enter the cave calmly, hands sunk deep into his pockets.

May began to follow, but had one last idea, "Couldn't Flygon Fly us to Mahogany Town?" She said almost pleading.

Drew shook his head, "Altitude would be too high. And we've got that egg with us now. If it fell...well...splat." Drew grinned and gave an amusing thrust of his arms from his pockets as he turned back towards the entrance at May.

May was...intrigued. 'Ive never seen him act so...silly.' She thought. Not wanting to dampen his spirits, May retuned a slight giggle, "This egg is in our care...we shouldn't joke like that!" She scolded teasingly as she jogged up to him.

"Alright." Drew began calmly, "But if we get lost and run out of food...at least we'll have scrambled eggs as an option!" He laughed at his own joke, the sound echoing in the darkness.

If it weren't for the laughter May wouldn't be able to see he was kidding. Drew stopped laughing and paused, worried he Might have upset May.

"You don't...usually act like such a joker, Drew." May said cautiously. She didn't want to upset him, but...this wasn't much like the Drew she knew. 'But what about him do I really know..?' She asked herself.

"I feel different when I don't have an audience May. In the dark of caves, fans, people, other Pokemon, they can't see me. They can't tell who it is saying these thoughts. I don't feel the need to give anyone a show here." Drew let his hands fall snug into his pants.

They walked a moment in silence as May processed this information. Finally she came up to a conclusion, "So you mean you're comfortable around me?" She stated more than questioned the green haired boy.

He flicked his hair, "Yeah, something like that. And if I'm not, I should be soon enough." He answered.

May smiled. And then got a mischievous grin. "Does that mean you'll shoot an episode of May's Expeditions with me?" She asked with pleading eyes.

Drew groaned, "C'mon May, you really want to do that now? We can barely see in here as it is." He reasoned.

"That's my point! Like you said, nobody can see you. Pleaseee?" She begged, biting her lip and causing Drew to blush.

"...Fine. I'll be your cameraman, alright?" Drew succumbed.

"Yes! Alright, May's Expeditions: Today we follow myself and my faithful cameraman Drew throughout the dangerous insides of Mt. Motar..."

~~~~~~~~After One Episode of May's Expeditions~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The duo had been navigating the cave for a while, playing May's childish game, but soon came to a point where the daylight outside the cave faded away, leaving them in pitch black. "Absol, help us out here," Drew called out his disaster Pokemon. It seemed a bit confused in the darkness. "Use flash, Absol." It cried out and then have a bright flash of light.

"That was smart thinking, Drew." May complimented, happy to not wander in darkness.

"Yeah, well," Drew flicked his hair, "Any logical person would've thought of that, May. What, did you think we'd wander in the dark?" He teased as he checked his map.

"I didn't think that!" May defended, "...I just thought of flashlights is all..." She mumbled. Drew chuckled.

"Well, we won't be using Absol's flash for long. I don't want to wear him out too much. We're going to get to our camping spot and then it's lights out." He answered.

May was quiet a moment. But she didn't want to end up in an awkward science. "...So...Uhmm...know any good songs?" May said sweatdropping.

"All the music I listen to is good May; if you're asking I sing 99 bottles of beer on the wall with you, you're mistaken." He flicked his hair as May pouted.

"Well what else are we gonna do?" May asked dumbly.

Drew sighed heavily, "Seeing as we are partners, it might be smart if we get to know each other better. And seeing as there are no fangirls or tabloid writers here, right now might be a good time."

May nodded, "Hmm...okay...what's your favorite color? Is it green?" May guessed.

"You'd think that, huh?" Drew shoved his hands into his pockets, "it's purple actually, for myself, though Harley's kinda ruined that...Red has gotten more popular. What about you maple?" He asked back.

"I really like red, but I love blue because it reminds me of the sea..." May said thoughtfully.

"I see...the sea, huh? You like it a lot?" He asked, trying to make small talk and learn more about her.

"Mhmm...whenever I look at the sea it reminds me of Manaphy...you know it's funny, I haven't had an egg to take care of since him..." She looked down at the egg she held closely to her chest.

Drew was confused, but highly intrigued, "May, are you saying you /hatched/ a Manaphy egg?" He asked.

"Mhmm...Ash, Brock, Max and I all sort of got mixed up in it... But I think it was destined. See, I was with the people who found the Manaphy egg, and I was the first person he saw when he hatched...I was his mommy. I'd sing to him to calm him down, we swam with lovediscs, he always gave such a happy cry...saying goodbye was the hardest thing I've ever had to do, but he is the Prince of the Sea and must guard the Sea Temple.." May got quieter and quieter as she spoke her words, and began crying softly, "..I miss him."

Drew was taken aback by her words. Could this clumsy, silly girl, really have been so influential on a legendary's life? Could there be others she encountered too? As May wiped her tears, Drew gently put his arm around her shoulder. "...I know that must've been hard. I hatched Roserade, and the bond was immediately strong. I don't know how I'd've felt with having to let her go." May nodded, "..But I can promise you that with this egg that won't happen...you can be this little guys 'mommy'." Drew tried to comfort tapping on the egg case.

May leaned tiredly on Drew, "But what if the egg hatches and sees you first?" She asked.

"Hm. Well I guess it would see me as it's 'daddy' huh?" He said with a laugh, "In that case, I'll be the daddy, you the mommy, all our Pokemon can be his siblings. We'll be a happy little family." May started to smile and blush a little, "Of course, 'daddy' would tell this little guy about how crazy 'mommy' is." He said with a smirk.

"Hey!" May shouted, allowing the cave to echo.

"I'm only kidding May. A little." He said flicking his hair. "Now let's set up camp."

~~~~After Setting up Camp and Making Dinner~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

May roasts her hotdog over the fire, "So Drew, you know a little about my family, what about yours?" She asked.

Drew swallowed a bite of his before answering, "Well May, I grew up in La Rousse City in Hoenn, you know that. My mother is named Delilah and my Aunt is named Lilith. They run a successful flowershop. My father in named Anthony and he is a Pokerus researcher. I don't have any siblings." Drew answered.

May chewed thoughtfully. "Only child...huh. Alright, you ask a question." She stated.

"Hmm...I don't know what to ask honestly. I already confirmed your favorite color, know about your family and friends, your favorite food, favorite flower..." Drew thought for a moment, then had an evil idea to get under May's skin, "..What about love interests?" He said with a sly grin.

May about chocked, "Huh?" She asked.

"You know, like exboyfriends, or girlfriends, I don't judge. Just don't want them harassing me." He said matter of factly, "You already know about fangirls, so talk."

"Uhh..." Mays face turned red, "Well I've never had a boyfriend. Ash was like a brother and my teacher, Brock is too old...uh...a few guys have shown

Interest in me before but I never accepted their asking me out..."

Drew was slightly disappointed and yet...relieved? May had no interest in Ash and that comforted him for some reason. He decided to prod further, "So there's no one you like?" He questioned, feeling his heart beat faster in his chest.

"I...Uhmm...well, I mean...well yeah, b-but-" May flustered.

"Who is it?" Drew said with a smirk and flip of his hair, "you can tell me May."

"Well...I...uh...t-that's private Drew?" She managed weakly.

"What? Afraid to tell me?... Is it Harley?" He said, unable to control his laughter.

May was furious at the accusation, "No, but tell me Mr. Acusator, do /you/?" She asked.

Drew flushed, a bit shocked by Her comeback, "HELL NO. Eww. I'm not gay May."

May giggled. Now Drew was in the hot seat, "I don't judge" she quoted.

"Yeah yeah." He answered. "Go in the tent and change, we need to sleep." He said changing the subject."

Feeling like she won, May cheerfully went inside the tent and changed. Drew grabbed the lantern after putting out the fire and returning Absol and entered into the tent, where he quickly stripped down to his boxers. May flushed and looked away, making herself busy polishing the egg before placing it back into its case. Drew turned the lantern off to sleep, leaving he and May in the dark.

But he couldn't sleep.

"Hey May, want to play a game?" Drew asked grinning in the dark.

"What kinda game?" May asked intrigued

"How about would you rather?" He asked, "Ever play?"

"Of course I have! I love that game." May said smiling.

"Good." Drew affirmed, "Would you rather...Have a life time suppy of ramen, or never have to deal with Harley again?" He asked with a chuckle.

"Ohh...that's tough!" She said with a giggle, "...But I guess the ramen. Harley might be annoying, but he is a good opponent in a contest." She answered. "Now, would you rather...be trapped in a room with Harley for an hour, or be trapped in a room full of fangirls for a day?" She said mischievously.

"...I choose Harley. I can at least knock him out, fangirls are ruthless." He said with a chill. "Okay, enough with Harley...would you rather...have a giant, terrifying Pokemon come to you while you slept every night but not harm you, or a small, sweet looking Pokemon visit you one night but hurt you severely?" Drew asked.

May pondered, "...I...I guess the one that wouldn't hurt me..." She answered, "We should get some sleep..."

"Oh...alright then. Goodnight May." Drew said a bit surprised, but began to shut his eyes.

"Goodnight Drew...sweet dreams." She answered before going to sleep.

~~~~~A few hours later~~~~~~~~

"...Drew..?" May whispered to her sleeping partner as she tried to shake him awake.

Drew fluttered his eyes open to stare into May's worried sapphire orbs. "May? What is it?" He asked groggily.

"I...uhm..." Mays face flushed with embarassment, "...I keep hearing noises...I...I know it's the wind or wild Pokemon, b-but..." She now turned away feeling stupid, knowing a crude remark would come.

Drew listened to the outside for a bit. Yes, wind and clawing cave Pokemon could be heard. But he also could hear rain and thunder outside, creating quite an erie scene. He pondered a moment. Was she afraid..? Did his silly little would you rather frighten her?

"Out of your sleeping bag." He ordered. May was confused but obeyed. In a quick motion Drew undid each of their sleeping bags and created one large one. He quickly settled into in and motioned her to join him. Blushing, May quickly entered the sleeping bag. Drew then pulled May close to him, allowing her head to rest on his chest.

"Don't think of all the sounds outside...just focus on my heartbeat. Count it, like mareeps.." He said softly as he began stroking her soft brown hair. "I won't let anything hurt you, I'm here. You're safe." He said soothingly. May was obviously tired, and her eyes began to flutter before she finally fell asleep. Drew looked down at her sleeping face. He hesitated a moment, then gently kissed her forehead, "Goodnight, Princess of Hoenn." He whispered before he too fell asleep.

(I'm so sorry I haven't updated lately. You all know how school can be. But I'll try to update this more, and hope you enjoy!)


	8. Chapter 8

Ch.8: Caves, Creeps, Rivals and Reunions!

"How much longer until we're outta this cave Drew?" May whined as she trumped through the cave with her emerald eyed companion and egg in hand.

"So ready to leave so soon May?" Drew answered with a smirk. He stopped and placed his hands onto his hips to wait for May to catch up.

"Well, Drew, if you remember I didn't really want to enter this cave in the first place." May returned.

"What, still afraid of the dark and howl of the wind?" Drew questioned with a chuckle.

May was hurt, "It's your fault I was frightened in the first place!" She shouted with a huff and began to walk away at a fast pace.

Drew not carrying an egg, quickly caught up to her and gently stopped her by grabbing her shoulder, "C'mon now May, I thought it was cute!" He spoke without thinking.

May paused. "WHAT SORT OF CREEP ARE YOU? YOU THINK ITS CUTE FOR ME TO BE SCARED?" May accused.

Drew sighed, 'Aw, crap.' He thought, "No, you're cute when you're mad." He stumbled, but tried to pull it off with a smirk.

"LETTUCEHEAD IF YOU THINK IM-" she began to shout, but Drew covered her mouth with his hand.

"What I meant to say, May, is I'm glad you came to me for help." He said calmly. He waited a moment before removing his hand and looked at her expectantly.

"Well why couldn't you just say that?" May questioned, "And if you were glad I came to you, then why did you tease me just now?" She pouted.

Drew began walking again with his hands in his pockets, chuckling, "Because May," he began, "You're cute when you're mad." And began to run off playfully.

May blinked. Completely ignoring the cute comment, "You wanted me mad?! DREW!" And began to give chase.

~~~~~Minutes of Chase Later~~~

Drew comes racing out of the tunnel laughing with May close behind giggling.

"Ooo~! It's dangerous! Two kids all alone in a dark cave, what have you been doing?!" A familiar voice shouted, putting an end to both May and Drew's laughter.

"Oh great..." Drew sighed and flicked his hair as Harley ran over to the pair.

May blushed, "Nothing like that Harley, really!" May refuted.

"I dunno!" Harley shifted his eyes, "Aren't you two normally yelling at each other until green midget over here gives you a rose?" He asked.

May sweatdropped and Drew looked away as he flicked his hair once again.

"Oh, give it a rest Harley. Hey you two, long time no see." Solidad greeted with her warm smile.

Drew and May both gave Solidad a friendly greeting before the two pairs began to head towards Mahogany town. As it came into view, Drew and May saw it was a fairly small town, just a rest stop before the Lake of Rage.

"So will May and I have the privilege of kicking your butt in this next Contest?" Drew asked with a slight smile.

"I'm afraid not, Harley and I already have three of our ribbons. Our Pokemon need a rest. We'll be cheering you on though." She said returning the smile.

"You've already got three?!" May said astonished, "I feel so behind.." She said shaking her head.

"Don't feel so distraught Hun, ya know Sol and I have been in this region competing longer than you." Harley said as he grabbed her shoulders in a dramatic motion.

"Yeah...I guess Drew and I did get a late star this year... I helped my dad and brother train so much that the months sort of just flew by...The Contest season here is when? April till..?" She prompted.

"September." Drew finished for her, "We aren't that far behind, seeing as tomorrow is only May 31st." He said with a flick of his hair.

May nodded, "Right." She placed a finger thoughtfully to her chin, "May 31st...why does that day seem so familiar...?" She questioned.

Drew stopped walking and just stared at her, "...You're kidding, right?" He asked her.

"Kidding about what?" She asked dumbly.

Drew pinched the bridge of his nose, "...it's your birthday tomorrow. You seriously forget your own birthday?" He asked her.

"Oh my gosh! I can't believe I forgot!" She shouted with realization, "...Hey! I've had a lot on my mind lately." She huffed.

"I'm sure." Drew said with a smirk.

"...Well May, Harley and I would be happy to celebrate with you tomorrow." Solidad offered with a smile.

"May honey, I can bake you the most wonderful and delicious cake you've ever seen or eaten, MMM!" Harley interjected.

"Oh Harley, you don't need to go to any trouble, but I'd love a little party with all of you." May said with a smile.

"It's settled Hun, tomorrow we'll meet you at the Pokemon center and celebrate your...how old are you going to be?" Harley began cheery but then fell flat.

"I'll be eighteen years old tomorrow!" She said with a cheery smile.

"Oh my goodness! Drew! Did you hear? Our little May is going to be legal~!" Harley said teasing the boy, causing May more embarrassment than Drew.

"...We need to register for the contest and get a room at the Pokemon Center." Drew said flatly.

"I get it," Solidad said with a laugh, "Alright, see you later."

~~~~~At the Pokemon Center~~~~~

"Hello Nurse Joy, would you mind checking our egg and our Pokemon, please?" May said politely.

"Of course dear," the pink haired nurse gently took their egg and Pokemon.

"Are there any rooms available?" Drew asked, "and we'd like to register for the contest."

"Hmm.." Joy thought aloud, "I'll see if I have anything available. May I see your contest passes?" She asked as May and Drew quickly handed them over and received them back again. She quickly typed into her computer, "You're all registered for the upcoming contest, now let's see about that room.." She typed some more, "..Ahh! 26A, just that hall there to the left." She said with a smile. The two thanked her, and went off to find their room.

"May! Mr. Drew!" A voice halted them.

"Oh, hello Brianna." Drew said cautiously, remembering his last encounter with the girl. Next to her stood a boy closer to Ash's build. He had spiked blonde hair and amber eyes with freckles. He wore corduroy brown pants, a plain white shirt, and a green over shirt. He seemed anxious.

"I really wanted to apologize about our last meeting! Mostly to you May! It was so wrong of me to blame you like that..." She looked down nervously.

"It's okay Brianna, I understand." May said accepting her apology. The boy kept glancing at May and away again, much to Drew's annoyance.

"Who's your friend?" He asked Brianna.

"Oh!" Brianna said flushing, "How rude of me again! This is Russel, he's my contest partner." She said shoving him forward, "Be assertive!" She whispered loudly to him.

"..May I'm a huge fan of yours! Your beauty and skills in competitions are beyond compare. I'm the lead captain of your fan club and it's such an honor to meet The Princess of Hoenn in the flesh!" He gushed, flirting a bit too much like Brock for May's taste.

"Oh! Well...umm, I'm flattered! I didn't know I had a fan club..." May said a bit

Overwhelmed.

"You have a huge following among boys May!" Brianna said, "And now that you and Mr. Drew are together you're only going to get more popularity!" She shouted.

May began to feel faint; mobs of fans, fan boys much like Drew's fangirls? That was not her dream. "I...I think I need to lay down..." She said slowly.

Drew sensing her overwhelmed quickly dismissed their fans, and led himself and May to their room. "Here we are." He said as he opened the door. May immediately groaned.

"Why is there just one bed?" She asked, "There must be a mistake."

Drew entered the room, "I dunno...This is a smaller Pokemon Center, and it does seem pretty full." He said logically.

May flopped onto one side of the bed, "But...Isn't that weird..?" She asked.

"You didn't seem to complain much last night," Drew answered with a smirk, the memory causing May to blush. "Besides, it's a pretty large bed, certainly not a single, maybe a twin, queen. Nurse Joy must've assumed we were a couple."

"I guess..." May stayed down on the bed. It was awfully comfortable. Drew flopped down next to her.

"Is this so bad? Could you really not sleep like this? If not you can take the floor." He said with a smirk.

"No no! This is perfect!" May quickly said.

Drew sat up, "Good," he said and he handed her a rose, "Now stay here and nap while I get our Pokemon. You seem to be getting sick." He said as he got closer

To the door. May was about to protest, but the comfort of the bed persuaded her.

"Fine, I'll see you later." She said as she admired her rose.

"Get some rest." Drew said with a smile, and left the room.

(I'm trying to plot out a timeline more . there'll be some time before the next Contest, and what adventures await May'a birthday? Wait and see! Thank you all again for such encouraging reviews! I'm glad you enjoy reading, I enjoy writing! I'll try to post again soon :) )


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